


i wanna lock in your love

by cptniall



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, do non australian schools have assemblies?, hey at least its not just niall that isnt in this one, soz boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-19
Updated: 2014-12-19
Packaged: 2018-03-02 05:20:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2801051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptniall/pseuds/cptniall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>inspired by the prompt<br/>“I’ve never talked to you before but the teacher just used us as an example for a scenario where we are married”<br/>aka liam is the shy kid that gets picked on and zayn always wanted an excuse to talk to him</p>
            </blockquote>





	i wanna lock in your love

**Author's Note:**

> a part of the seven days of ficmas (a series of mini-fics dedicated to brigitte) this is a special one bc this was basically me in high school and it would've meant to world to me to have a zayn

Zayn has never been one to really _enjoy_ school. It’s not that he doesn’t get on with his classmates, or that he doesn’t enjoy learning - he just feels like there’s at least 30 places he’d rather be. 

But as much as Zayn complains about and dreads school, he knows it’s nothing compared to the way Liam Payne must feel.

It’s fifth period psychology. Zayn’s already had to sit through maths, legal studies and double period English, so, as always, his head is far from here. He’s absent-mindedly drawing on his notebook, the pen lazily moving as his hand seems to have a mind of it’s own. All the lines and shading seem to be taking the form of a dragon.  

There’s nothing out of the ordinary about today - Louis Tomlinson is throwing paper across the room at people when the teacher isn’t looking, Niall Horan has a bag of crisps stashed in his lap and Harry Styles is completely oblivious to the three girls and two boys that are staring at him adoringly. 

And then there’s Liam. His desk is in the second row of the classroom, his legs tucked nearly under the table and his hands clasped together on the top of the table. He seems focused on what the teacher is saying, but Zayn knows better than that. Liam not listening to the teacher - he’s pretending he doesn’t hear the boys behind him whispering about him.  

Zayn isn’t even sure what they say half the time, but whatever it is really seems to bother Liam. He’s not the smartest kid in the class, but he’s really switched on, so he used to always raise his hand when the teacher asked a question. Not lately, though. For the last few months, every time Liam raises his hand to answer a question there’s a chorus of sniggers from a select few kids in their class. And without fail, every time Liam does answer a question, they laugh loudly and boisterously or applaud. It makes Zayn feel sick. They literally have nothing better to do than pick on this poor kid who has, to Zayn’s knowledge, never even interacted with them outside of the classroom. This kid who keeps to himself, who spends his lunch times in the library doing homework and minding his own business.  

Zayn lets out a sigh as he stares at the side of Liam’s head, his hair that’s getting so long it’s starting to curl, and wonders how it is the guy manages to get out of bed every morning. If that was Zayn, he would have dropped out or transferred months ago.  

But Liam continues to show up. Every day, Liam is at school, books in hand, facing everything that gets thrown at him. 

Zayn thinks Liam is the bravest person he’s ever met. 

Not like he and Liam have ever spoken, really. Like, Zayn thinks he remembers asking Liam what date it was one day, but that’s about the extent of their conversation. Not that Zayn doesn’t wish they’d spoken more - really, he does. Because Liam seems genuine and funny and sweet and he’s actually really good looking, but, they just don’t seem to have much in common.  

So it comes as a total surprise to Zayn when he’s broken from his train of thought by the teacher saying “Liam and Zayn.” 

Zayn’s head snaps up, looking at their teacher with wide, startled eyes as he awaits further instruction. It doesn’t come.

“Liam and Zayn what?” He repeats quietly. Liam turns his head, ever so slightly, just enough to peek at Zayn out of the corner of his eye. Zayn doesn’t miss it though.  

“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you weren’t listening, Zayn?” The teacher sighs, but she still smiles. Zayn seems to have that effect on people. “I was just saying in the instance that you and Liam wanted to get married, for example, you now could due to the recent law changes.” 

The assholes behind Liam burst out laughing, apparently unable to contain themselves. 

“Knock it off.” Harry scolds them, shaking his head. It’s not enough for Zayn, though. If the teacher isn’t going to say something, he will.  

“Something funny, boys?” Zayn lifts his head to see over the other classmates, to get a better view of the guys (see: trying to get a better angle to send them death glares). 

“Everything about that is funny, Malik.” One of the boys repeats. His name might be Alex, or something similar - Zayn has never cared enough to learn his name.  

“See, I don’t think it is. I think there’s nothing funny about the fact that you and your obnoxious, abhorrent prick group of friends there seem to give Liam shit for everything he says.” Zayn feels heat prickling his skin, feels a slight tinge of red creeping into his cheeks as the anger boils inside him. He’s always been one to keep to himself, but enough is enough. 

“Zayn, calm down.” The teacher warns, though she doesn't look like she cares to help at all.

“I bet you think you’re mighty big, don’t you?” Zayn continues, narrowing his eyes at the boys. “Weren’t so big when you failed the last test, were you? Won’t be so big when Liam smashes you all on our final exam, will you? Because instead of wasting his time making an idiot of himself in class like you lot, he’s actually been working. And when you’re serving fries out a drive thru window in ten years, then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

“Alright, boys that’s enough.” The teacher scolds, finally raising her voice to a semi-authoritative level. “Everybody sit down.”

Not taking their eyes off Zayn, the other four boys lower themselves back down, slowly turning back to face the front of the room. 

Liam, however, is still looking at Zayn. He hasn’t quite turned his whole body to face the other boy, but his eyes are definitely on him. Wide and confused and alarmed, Liam’s eyes are looking directly into Zayn’s. Zayn holds his gaze for a long while, until an incoming wad of paper hits him in the side of the head, and the sound of Louis giggling fills the room. Always had bad timing, that bloke. 

 

—

 

Liam’s locker is only a few down from Zayn’s, so it makes it almost impossible to miss the way Liam is intently staring at Zayn right now. Zayn’s just trying to put his books away in his locker and pack his bag, ready to go home for the day, but it’s getting really had to concentrate with Liam _staring_ at him like that.   

Zayn, unable to pretend he doesn’t notice it any longer, turns to face Liam, just as the other boy has shut his locker and is shuffling towards him.  

“Hi.” Liam says quietly. Much quieter than Zayn remembers his voice being this time last year. It makes his heart sink a little. 

“Hey, Liam.” Zayn returns warmly, he too shutting his locker now.  

“I just, um…” Liam holds Zayn’s gaze for a whole 0.5 seconds before looking down at his shoes. “Just wanted to say thanks. For today. You really didn’t have to say those things, or say anything, really. Those guys, they don’t really listen. They don’t…” Liam sighs sadly. “They don’t stop. Not for anything, really.” 

Zayn feels his face falling more by the second, and finds himself unable to stop himself from reaching out and brushing his fingertips against Liam’s chin.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Zayn whispers. He hears sniggering, giggling, and looks up to see that there’s a few kids staring at them as they walk past. “Um, let’s go to the carpark. I’ll drive you home. You don’t drive yet, do you?” 

Liam looks up again and shakes his head, little strands of curls falling into his eyes as he does. 

“Alright, come on. We’ll talk in the car.

Zayn’s car isn’t much - in fact, it’s actually a bomb. But his mum bought it for him for his 17th birthday, and that makes it pretty much the best car ever. 

Liam seems stiff and timid when he climbs into the passenger seat, almost like he doesn’t want to move in fear of breaking something. 

“You don’t have to thank me, Liam.” Zayn says finally as he starts the car. “It’s about time someone said something.” 

“But it didn’t have to be you.” Liam retorts, his voice only a fraction louder than it was in the hallway, even though there’s no one else around now. 

“Yeah? I thought it did.” Zayn keeps his eyes on the road for the most part, occasionally chancing a quick look at Liam, who’s eyes are fixed on his lap. Zayn takes a moment to wonder whether that’s almost an instinct for him now - to not look anyone in the eye.  

Zayn’s hands clench on the steering wheel. 

“Where do you live?” Zayn says after a long pause, suddenly realising he has no idea where he’s going.

“Forest Road.” Liam mumbles in response, so quietly Zayn almost misses it. He knows Forest Road - it’s a really nice street on the other side of town to his own house. Liam’s family must be pretty wealthy to live there. Zayn ponders this for a moment, thinking about how he really doesn’t know anything about Liam. No one does. Maybe that's the problem. 

“Why did you do it?” Liam says sternly, almost aggressively. Zayn frowns at this, mostly at how sudden and unexpected it is.

“Are you serious, Liam?” 

“Yes, I’m serious.” Liam’s sudden confidence shocks Zayn into silence. “We don’t even speak. We’ve never spoken. Why do you care what happens to me?”

“Are you mad at me for standing up for you?” Zayn can’t help but sound incredulous - the whole thing seems ridiculous. 

“No. I just don’t understand it. It doesn’t…” Liam sighs, frustrated. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“They were being assholes, I stood up for you.” Zayn shrugs. “And if they do it again, I’ll say something else. It’s pretty simple. 

They sit in silence for the rest of the trip (not that Zayn minds). The radio is playing some Ed Sheeran song, and Liam hums along to it every now and then, but he seems too upset for Zayn to try and make conversation with him. Zayn knows not to push someone when they’re like this, even if it is Liam, who he barely knows at all. 

He eventually pulls to a stop in front of the house Liam says is his (and wow is it impressive), but Liam hesitates, his hand frozen on the handle of the car door. 

“You okay, mate?” Zayn asks, resting his hand on the head rest of Liam’s seat. Liam bites his lip for a moment, glancing so quickly at Zayn that Zayn can’t be sure it actually happened, before opening the car door and swinging his legs out. 

“Thanks.” Liam mumbles over his shoulder as he quickly clambers out of the car, practically running up the path to his front door.  

Zayn waits out the front until he’s sure that Liam has gotten inside properly, then a few more moments after that. 

 

—

 

It’s not like Zayn is _looking_ for Liam the next day at lunch - except, well, okay, he is. But he can’t seem to find the kid for the life of him, and it’s really starting to bug him.   

He’s checked the library, checked the area near their lockers, checked the classroom Liam had his most recent class in - nothing. It’s almost like Liam’s vanished.  

Zayn’s not entirely sure why he even wants to find Liam, to be honest. He just wants to see him, wants to know he’s okay. The Liam he dropped off at home last night was definitely not okay, much like the Liam he has seen at school every day for the past six months. Zayn wants to change it. And yeah, maybe it is because he has a bit of a fascination with Liam (fascination sounds much cooler than ‘crush’).  

Zayn’s almost given up the search when he walks into the boys toilets, sighing deeply as he enters one of the three cubicles. Who uses urinals at school anyway? Zayn definitely doesn’t want any of these jackasses looking at his dick. It’s weird.  

As he stands there, facing the toilet bowl about to get his dick out, he notices it. Bright red, shiny, high top sneakers planted on the floor of the cubicle next to Zayn’s.  

For a kid who likes to keep to himself, Liam sure does draw a lot of attention to himself sometimes.  

Zayn ponders the situation for a moment. I mean, there’s every chance Liam is just taking a shit. But this nagging feeling in the back of Zayn’s mind tells him otherwise. He starts reviewing memories in his mind, of all the lunch times he’s noticed Liam’s absence in the school yard, all the times Liam seems to dart out of the cafeteria as soon as he gets the chance. Now that Zayn thinks about it, he can’t actually remember the last time he saw Liam sitting around at lunch time.  

Zayn lets the realisation wash over him as he tucks himself back into his pants, closes the lid of the toilet and sits down. 

“Liam?” Zayn whispers. The red sneakers in the stall next to him shuffle a little on the floor, but no response comes. “Liam, I know it’s you. I’d know those shoes anywhere.”

“What do you want, Zayn?”  

Zayn feels a smile stretch across his voice at the sound of Liam’s voice, more than anything feeling relieved that he’s not going to ignore him. That could make things awkward.

“Well, I wanted to hang out with you.” Zayn starts, tucking one leg up under his butt. “But apparently that involves sitting in a toilet cubicle. So here I am.” 

“It’s hilarious, isn’t it.” Liam’s voice is dry and unamused, and Zayn immediately feels guilty for trying to lighten the situation. He should’ve known better. “Dumb, stupid Liam sits in the toilets all day because he doesn’t have any friends. Pathetic.” 

“Liam, I didn’t mean it like that.” Zayn rests his hand on the toilet paper dispenser, fingers brushing gently against the blue wall of the cubicle. “D’you wanna go somewhere else to talk? Maybe the library or something?” 

“No, Zayn, I don’t want to talk. And I don’t understand why you want to either.” Liam responds sharply. 

“We don’t need to talk. ‘M happy just sitting here.” Zayn says with a small smile. He knows Liam can’t see him, but he can’t help it. Even when he’s being a moody bitch, Liam still makes Zayn smile.

Zayn hears the toilet door swing open, and a pair of footsteps comes shuffling in. Zayn and Liam sit there in complete silence and stillness as the other boy takes a piss, definitely doesn’t wash his hands, and leaves. 

Zayn finds himself wondering how many days Liam has done this. How many hours he’s spent sitting here, in the cubicle in the corner, just waiting for the time to pass. 

“Do you mind if I stay?” Zayn says quietly after the toilet door has shut again. He knows no one else is in the room, but he still feels the need to whisper. “I can go if you want me to, you know.” 

For a long time, a response doesn’t come. Zayn knows this doesn’t mean Liam wants him to leave, though. He watches the way the red sneakers shuffle on the floor again, finds himself smiling at the way that even Liam’s feet are expressive.

“No.” Liam says finally. “Stay.”

And he does. 

 

—

 

Zayn misses Monday’s psychology class because he has a dentist appointment (which he totally wants to be mad at his mum about), but luckily, study period for Zayn means sitting in the library pretending to study with none other than Liam Payne.  

Liam and Zayn have never sat together in their free periods before - in fact, Zayn didn’t even know they had the same study period until a few days ago. But now, as he catches a brief waft of Liam’s cologne and feels his arm brush against Liam’s on the desk, it’s definitely his favourite part of the week.  

“Iron man, nice.” Zayn comments, pointing to the cover of Liam’s notebook. Liam smiles at this; an adorable, genuine little grin that warms every inch of Zayn’s insides. Seeing Liam smile at school is like seeing a lunar eclipse - rare and totally, completely wonderful. “How sick is the new one?” 

“I haven’t seen it.” Liam replies, returning his gaze to his books. Zayn gapes at him.

“Haven’t seen it?” He nudges Liam’s elbow with his own when Liam doesn’t respond. “Well, we can watch it together. My sister Doniya got me the DVD for my birthday. It’s pretty sick.” 

“Stop.” Liam replies, his tone once again sharp. “Don’t do that.” 

“Don’t do what?” Zayn knits his eyebrows together, genuinely confused. Liam always does this - he puts up a wall every time Zayn tries to make an effort to connect with him. 

“I don’t understand why you keep talking about hanging out and being friends.” Liam mumbles, still not meeting Zayn’s eye. 

“Why do you keep saying that?” Zayn presses.

“Because it doesn’t! It doesn’t make sense, Zayn.” Liam’s dropped his pen now, his eyes firmly locked with Zayn’s. He looks hurt, confused and frustrated all at once, and Zayn knows it’s totally inappropriate but he just wants to kiss him all over. “You’re Zayn. You’re hot and cool and kind of this badass guy who doesn’t care what anyone thinks. And I’m… I’m the kid who gets mocking Facebook statuses written about me, and eats lunch alone in a toilet cubicle every day.” 

Zayn’s heart drops into his stomach, his breath hitching in his throat. He hates when Liam talks like this, but to hear him opening up is sort of lovely.  

“I’ve had enough people give me shit to know how this ends, Zayn. And it’s not with us holding hands and walking into the sunset, it’s with you laughing about all the lame things I said with your friends.” 

And with that, Liam slams his notebook shut, hastily picking up his things and all but running out of the library. 

Zayn wants to chase after him, wants to track him down and make him listen, but he knows it would be futile. Liam has been hurt so badly - not by one person, but by the world. He’s had more pain and loneliness in his life than anyone deserves, and because of that, he’s never going to react to attention like everyone else. 

It breaks Zayn’s heart to think about. He just wishes there’s something he could do. 

But maybe there is. 

 

—

 

School assemblies have never been something of importance in Zayn’s life, but today’s assembly is entirely different to all others. Today’s assembly may be one of the most important events in his life. 

It passes as per normal for the most part, but then, his science teacher calls him up to the microphone, every eye in the room on him as he approaches. 

He clears his through once he reaches the microphone, scanning the crowd for one particular face.  

“So, uh, I’m supposed to be talking today about the new recycle bins the student council has put out.” Zayn starts, glancing around at the hundreds of eyes that are all glued to him. “But… I don’t think I will.”  

A quiet murmur passes through the room, a few kids looking at their friends confusedly, but Zayn takes a deep breath and presses on, the need to express himself greater than the opinions of his classmates. 

“Some people at this school have been giving a friend of mine a really hard time over the last few months.” Zayn knows the teachers won’t be happy with him for this, but he really doesn’t care. “And my friend, he’s taken it, all of it, and hasn’t fought back. It’s disgusting, what some people are doing to him. How a group of people could actually enjoy making someone else feel so small…” Zayn clears his through. He’s getting off track. “But that’s not what I want to talk about. Not really. I just wanted to say that… Liam…”

Zayn’s got tunnel vision now, his eyes fixed solely on Liam and only Liam, not even noticing the way that the other students are looking around at each other, at Liam, some of them snickering and whispering. Most important is the fact that Liam’s looking back, and he looks completely taken aback.  

“You’re so important, Liam. And you’re a really special person. And I know you don’t think I’m genuine or whatever, so, I thought embarrassing myself in front of the whole school might help convince you.” Zayn feels himself blushing at the admission, at the reality of this situation. “I really like you, and I’m always going to be here for you.” 

The hall is still silent, many people looking confused and all the teachers looking exasperated and annoyed, but Zayn still doesn’t care.  

“Anyway. The new bins are out in the yard, please don’t put your normal rubbish in them.” 

The assembly is over pretty soon after that, with many kids rushing over to Zayn to try and ask him what’s going on or make fun of him for putting himself out there like that. But Zayn pushes through them all, trying his hardest to find the head of light brown curls he’s grown so fond of. 

“Zayn!”  

Zayn’s head whips around, looking from side to side until he sees Liam waving him over from near the stairs. He waits until most of the other students have filtered out, then walks over to Liam with a shaky, genuine smile. He’s never been so nervous in his life, but he still feels so invigorated and alive.  

“I can’t believe you did that.” Liam is beaming, his eyes are shining and crinkled and his cheeks a lovely shade of pink. Zayn thinks he’s never been more beautiful. “You’re such an idiot.” 

“Anything for you, Liam.” Zayn says, taking one of Liam’s hands in his own. “I mean that, you know.” 

Liam looks at Zayn for a long while, almost like he’s unable to process a proper sentence. 

He seems to give up trying after a while, opting instead for planting a big, sloppy kiss on Zayn’s lips. He tries to pull away after a second, but Zayn’s arm wraps around his waist instinctively, pulling him closer and trapping him in the kiss. His lips close around Liam’s bottom lip, sucking on it gently as his grip tightens on Liam’s waist. 

The sound of a wolf whistle interrupts them, and though you can’t tell a person by their whistle Zayn is 99% sure it was Niall. Zayn brushes a lock of hair from Liam’s face, letting his hand linger for a moment on Liam’s cheek. Liam leans in again, this time pressing a quick kiss to Zayn’s nose. 

“I could get used to this, I think.” Liam giggles. 

 


End file.
